Daily Devotional

Friday, September 4, 2026 (NS), August 22, 2026 (OS)

Fast Day, but Wine and Olive Oil Allowed.

Friday of the Fourteenth Week

The commemoration of the Afterfeast of the Dormition, and the holy Martyr Agathonikos of Nicomedia, and his companions, Zotikos, Zenonos, Theoprepios, Akindynos, and Severianos, and the holy Martyr Louppos (transferred to this date on account of the Leave-taking of the Feast of the Dormition on the 23^rd of August).

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Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Friday of the Fourteenth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 201]. Brethren:

2 ⁶From those who were reputed to be something—of what sort they once were, it maketh no difference to me; God accepteth the person of no man—for those who were of repute offered nothing else of themselves to lay upon me. ⁷But on the contrary, after they saw that I have been entrusted with the Gospel of the uncircumcision, even as Peter that of the circumcision ⁸(for the One having energized in Peter toward an apostleship of the circumcision, energized also in me toward the nations), ⁹and after Iakovos and Kephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, perceived the grace which was given to me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we go to the nations, but they to the circumcision; ¹⁰only that we be remembering the poor, which very thing I also was eager to do.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§§ 20, mid 21]. At that time:

5 ²²There cometh to Jesus one of the rulers of the synagogue, by name Jairos; and after he saw Him, he fell at His feet, ²³and was beseeching Him very much, saying, “My little daughter is at her end, so come and lay Thy hands on her, that she might be made well, and she shall live.” ²⁴And He went away with him; and a great crowd was following Him and pressing upon Him.... ³⁵And some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying, “Thy daughter died; why art thou still troubling the Teacher?” ³⁶But Jesus, after He heard the word spoken, straightway saith to the ruler of the synagogue, “Cease being afraid, only keep on believing.” ³⁷And He allowed no one to follow along with Him, except Peter, and Iakovos, and John the brother of Iakovos. ³⁸And He cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth a tumult, and the crowd weeping and wailing greatly. ³⁹And after He entered, He saith to them, “Why are ye being clamorous and weeping? The little child did not die, but sleepeth.” ⁴⁰And they kept on laughing scornfully at Him. But when He put all out, He took the father of the child and the mother, and those with Him, and entered in where the little child was lying. ⁴¹And He laid hold of the little child’s hand, and saith to her, “Talitha, koumi,” which is, being interpreted, “Little girl, I say to thee, arise.” ⁴²And straightway the little girl arose and was walking about, for she was twelve years old. And they were amazed with great ecstasy; ⁴³and He Himself earnestly gave them express orders that no one should know this; and He said that something should be given to her to eat.

6 ¹And He went out from that place, and came into His own country; and His disciples followed Him.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

September 4th – Civil Calendar
August 22nd – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyrs Agathonikos and Zotikos, and others with them.

St. Agathonikos was a citizen of Nikomedia and a Christian. He turned the Greeks from idolatry with great fervor, and instructed them in the true Faith. The imperial governor, on orders from the Emperor Maximian, was persecuting Christians with great harshness. In this persecution, he seized St. Zotikos in a place called Carpe, crucified his disciples and took him off to Nikomedia, where he also seized and bound Agathonikos, Princeps, Theoprepios, Akyndinos, Severianos, Zeno and many others. They were taken, securely bound, to Byzantium. On the way, Zotikos, Theoprepios and Akyndinos died from exhaustion and of their wounds. Severianos was killed near Chalcedon and Agathonikos and the others were taken to Thrace, to a place called Silybria, where, after torture before the emperor himself, they were beheaded with the sword and entered into eternal life and the joy of their Lord.

2. The Holy Martyr Eulalia.

At the time of a terrible persecution of Christians in Spain, there was a maiden called Eulalia, born of Christian parents in Barcelona. Utterly consecrated to Christ her Bridegroom, and steeped in the holy Scriptures, she applied herself steadfastly to voluntary asceticism of soul and body. When the torturer, Dacian, who was mercilessly slaughtering Christians in Spain, came to Barcelona, Eulalia slipped away from her parents by night, came before the torturer, and in the presence of many of the people, denounced him as a murderer of innocent people, and also pulled down idols, openly confessing her faith in Christ the living Lord. Dacian commanded in fury that she be stripped and beaten with rods, but the holy maiden showed that she did not feel the pain of the torture for her Christ. Then the torturer had her tied to a tree in the form of a Cross, and ordered that her flesh be burned with torches. The torturer asked her, where was her Christ to save her? Eulalia answered: ‘He is here with me, but you cannot see Him because of your impurity.’ Under great torture, Eulalia gave her soul to God, and when she breathed her last, the people saw a white dove emerge from her mouth. Then a sudden snowstorm came and covered the naked body of the martyr like a white garment. On the third day, St. Felix came, and in grief, wept before the hanging body of Eulalia, and a smile appeared on the saint’s dead face. Her parents came, and together with other Christians, buried the body of the holy maiden. She suffered for her Lord and entered into eternal joy at the beginning of the fourth century.

3. The Holy Martyr Anthusa, and others with her.

The daughter of rich, pagan parents in Seleukeia in Syria, Anthusa heard of Christ and believed in Him with all her heart. She went secretly to Bishop Athanasius, who baptized her, and an angel of God appeared at that moment. After that, Anthusa went off to the desert to live in asceticism, not daring to return to her parents. She lived in the desert for thirty-three years, until, while kneeling in prayer on a rock, she gave her soul into God’s hands. She was buried, at her prior request, under this rock. Athanasius and two of Anthusa’s servants, Charismus and Neophytus, were beheaded for their faith in Christ in the time of the Emperor Valerian, in about the year 257. They suffered with honor and were crowned with wreaths.

FOR CONSIDERATION

When once a man has truly repented, he must think no more of the sins committed, lest he fall again into sin. St. Anthony advises: ‘Guard yourself, that your mind be not fouled with the memory of former sins, and that the memory of them be not renewed within you.’ And, in another place, he says: ‘Don’t establish the sins that you have formerly committed in your soul by pondering on them, lest they be renewed in you. Be assured that they are forgiven from the moment that you turn to God in repentance. Be in no doubt about this.’ It was said of St. Ammon that he achieved such perfection that, in his great goodness, he no longer recognized the existence of evil. When he was asked what was the ‘narrow and hard’ way, he replied: ‘It is the curbing of one’s thoughts and the mortifying of one’s own will for the fulfilling of the will of God.’ He who curbs sinful thoughts thinks neither of his own sin nor of another’s, nor of anything corruptible or earthly. The mind of such a man is constantly in heaven, where there is no evil. Thus, little by little, evil is cast out from us, even in our thoughts.

Daily Prologue Readings taken from The Prologue of Ochrid, by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, translated by Mother Maria, published by Lazarica Press, Birmingham, England, copyright © 1985, all rights reserved. Edited by Dormition Skete.